BANG!

November 1, 2020
Kindt's latest series features characters from across a variety of pulp-fiction genres: the misogynist secret agent; a man with chemically enhanced senses, strength, and intelligence; a wealthy scientist with a sentient car and augmented body; and an elderly (and underestimated) amateur detective who can solve just about any case. What ties them all together is the author who writes the books in which they are characters and who knows their stories' outcomes. Together, they gradually build a team reminiscent of the Avengers or Justice League, with each member having a particular specialization that helps get them out of trouble. Each character's "story" is bookended by a page from the book in which he or she is featured. The metafictional aspect here makes this feel especially unique and fresh, and Torres' clean, detailed illustrations are perfect for this action-packed read. Spy-thriller fans who want some sf elements will be happiest with this book, but you may want to consider handing it to Miss Marple fans in need of adventure.

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December 1, 2020

Kindt (Ether. Vol. 3: The Disappearance of Violet Bell) and Torres (Quantum Age) channel Ian Fleming by way of Philip K. Dick in this action-packed celebration of pulp fiction and sf. Debonair superspy Thomas Cord's latest mission: locate Philip Verge, an eccentric sf author whose eerily prophetic novels may hold the key to defeating Goldmaze, a global criminal organization. The closer Cord comes to catching up with his quarry, the more he's bedeviled by impossible memories of past lives, loves, and adventures; stranger still, Verge claims to possess the ability to travel across alternate realities, and that the only way to save the world is to recruit the leads of his various adventure novels. Enter John Shaw, a barrel-chested everyman with a penchant for finding himself at the scene of hijackings and terrorist attacks; hi-tech heroine Michele Queen and her sentient car, Baby B.O.I.; and octogenarian Paige Turner, the world's greatest detective. VERDICT While comics featuring casts consisting of characters crafted to pay homage to classic pulp adventure heroes aren't exactly rare, few exude the genuine affection for the genre and originality displayed on every page of this twisty, consistently surprising romp.

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